Philosophy PgCert

Program Overview

The Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) in Philosophy at Lancaster University offers a rigorous exploration of fundamental philosophical theories and concepts. With a mix of core and optional modules, the program provides a strong foundation in the discipline, fostering critical thinking and research skills. Students can choose to specialize in a particular area or use the PgCert as a stepping stone towards an MA in Philosophy. The program is taught by experienced academics and benefits from the resources of the Richardson Institute, a renowned center for peace and conflict research.

Program Outline

It can be taken as a stand-alone qualification, allowing for focused study in a specific area, or as a stepping stone to the relevant MA program. The program aims to provide a strong understanding of major theories, concepts, and issues within Philosophy, spanning various intellectual traditions and historical and contemporary contexts. It fosters a systematic comprehension of diverse debates and discussions arising from past and present philosophical approaches. The PgCert also equips students with essential skills for evaluating, analyzing, and interpreting both academic and practitioner perspectives on Philosophy.

Outline:

The PgCert in Philosophy includes both core and optional modules.

Core Module:

• What is Philosophy?
• Methods, Aims, Debates:
• This module explores the diverse nature, contested aspects, and self-reflective qualities of Philosophy, encompassing various areas, questions, and approaches to answering them.
• Topics include metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and aesthetics.
• The module emphasizes developing the skills and virtues of a postgraduate-level philosopher through guided practice in philosophical thinking.
• It employs three strands of learning:
• Presentations from philosophy staff on their research work, followed by discussions to showcase contemporary professional philosophy at Lancaster.
• Reading and guided discussions of important texts in contemporary sub-disciplines of philosophy.
• Reflective practice in central philosophical styles of skilled reading, writing, research, discussion, and presentation.
• Assessment: 5,000-word essay.

Optional Modules:

• Feminist Philosophy (Special Subject):
• This module focuses on feminist philosophy, aiming to advance participants' knowledge and skills in this area.
• It is led by a tutor with active research interests in feminist philosophy.
• Future Generations (Special Subject):
• This module explores moral obligations to future generations, addressing questions of ethics, justice, and intergenerational responsibility.
• It examines practical case studies and major concepts and theories used by philosophers to address these issues.
• Topics include:
• Weighing quality vs. quantity of life.
• Extending human lifespan.
• Ethics of cryonics.
• Moral obligation to refrain from having children and population control.
• Use of selection techniques to minimize genetic disorders.
• Parent's rights to determine future children's characteristics.
• Balancing human interests with those of non-human creatures.
• Addressing long-term environmental and financial issues.
• Philosophy of mental disorder:
• This module delves into contemporary debates in the philosophy of mental disorder.
• It covers topics such as:
• Defining mental disorder and its relationship to evolutionary dysfunction and harm.
• The arguments of antipsychiatry and postpsychiatry.
• Cultural variations in mental disorder.
• Realism and constructionism in mental disorder.
• Meaning and limitations of reducing symptoms to brain states.
• Responsibility and mental disorder.
• Politics and Ethics in Indian Philosophy:
• This module examines Indian source texts on politics and ethics, particularly those exploring the concept of dharma.
• It analyzes sources within their historical and cultural contexts, as well as in contemporary debates on political theory and ethics.
• Texts studied include: inscriptions of Ashoka, Buddhist Nikayas, Arthashastra, Law Codes of Manu, Mahabharata, and Kamasutra.
• Connections are drawn to modern political figures like Gandhi and Savarkar, and to current debates on secularism, democracy, and pluralism in India.
• Seminar in Moral, Political, and Social Philosophy:
• This module fosters postgraduate-level philosopher and scholar skills through guided practice in close reading and reasoned discussion of selected works in moral, political, and social philosophy.
• It typically runs as a reading group, focusing on a small number of high-quality texts chosen in consultation between the convenor and students.
• The format often involves moderated discussion of set reading, introduced by student presentations or the convenor.
• Assessment: 5,000-word essay on a chosen topic, developed in consultation with the convenor.
• Topics may include: modernity, capitalism, liberalism, alternative possibilities, human rights, individuality, community, cultural difference, political authority, the authority of law, nationhood, borders, cosmopolitanism, human wellbeing, freedom, global unfreedoms, equality, global inequalities, utilitarian, deontological, and virtue ethics, and the nature of value, agency, and practical rationality.

Assessment:

• The program utilizes a variety of assessment methods, including essays and seminars.
• The core module, "What is Philosophy?
Methods, Aims, Debates," is assessed through a 5,000-word essay.
• The optional module, "Seminar in Moral, Political, and Social Philosophy," is assessed through a 5,000-word essay on a chosen topic, developed in consultation with the convenor.

Teaching:

• The program employs a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, seminars, and workshops.
• The program is taught by experienced and qualified academic staff.

Other:

• The Richardson Institute, formed in 1959 and based in the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Religion, is the oldest peace and conflict research center in the UK.
• The Richardson Institute provides an internship program that offers students the opportunity to work with various organizations on peace and conflict issues.
• The program is offered by the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and Religion, part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Please note that specific details about course structure, assessments, and teaching methods may vary depending on the specific program year.

• Home: £3,830 (Full Time per year), £1,915 (Part Time per year)
• International: £7,955 (Full Time per year), £3,975 (Part Time per year)